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how long for each stop in italy

We are planning a trip to italy this summer with our 3 kids ages 16, 12 and 9. We were thinking Venice, Positano and Rome. How long should we spend in each place? Right now we have 3 nights Venice, 4 nights Rome and 6 in Positano. How does this sound to anyone who has been there? This will be our first trip to Italy.

With children, I'd say it's fine. May I assume you are looking for longer beach time in Positano? International flights leave early from Venice so you might want to consider flying into Venice to get a few more sightseeing hours there. And fly out of Naples so you don't have to back-track. Save your sanity and just hire a driver to take you to the Naples airport.

I'n not sure teenagers will enjoy Florence any more than Positano. Unless they're keen fans of Renaissance art and architecture. But they would like the tower of Pisa and Pompeii. And they will like Venice and Rome.

If you're looking for alternatives to Positano, how about an agriturismo in Tuscany, a working farm with animals and a pool?

I agree that may be too much time in positano for your children. The beach isnt that great and the coast is really about the views. There are some good boat day trips, but even that may get a bit boring for them. They will probably like Pompeii though.

I'd take time away from Positano and add it to Rome where there are infinitely more things to keep kids interested.

I am hoping your hotel choice in Positano has a pool? Positano is lovely but IMO it is not the best place to daytrip on the Amalfi coast but if your stay there is for more of a down time / hanging out break, well it is lovely but has MANY stairs anywhere you go. I might be tempted to add a night to Venice and Rome just for more leisurely enjoyment of the big sights - that still leaves you with 4 nights in Positano to chill.

If you spend more time in Rome, you can do a daytrip to Pompeii, and also one to Villa d'este (with all the fountains and Hadrian's vlla. Where will you stay in Rome? We stayed near the Borghese Park. Many people will say that's too far from all the sights, but we found that it was a fantastic place to just chill out and people watch. You can also rent bicycles and other vehicles to ride around the shady paths. Rome is an easy city to get around in if you take a bit of time to understand the bus routes.

"The teenagers might find a week on the Amalfi Coast more deadly dull than they can stand."---
Doesn't Positano have a beach? Don't you think they'd enjoy Pompeii? They can also ferry from Positano as well. I'm not sure I agree with you there, ira.

I have a number of friends who visit the Amalfi Coast with their kids every summer. There are many beaches, boat trips along the coast and to the islands. Take a picnic to the various beaches and coves, or have a seafood lunch by the sea; rent a raft or a small boat, etc etc. Lots of shopping, of course..what's not to like, as long as you are prepared for crowds!

(I'm used to the beaches in the northeast US and I found the beaches of the Amalfi Coast just great for lounging (on a rented daybed) and swimming. Just make sure to pack water shoes.

If you have a generous hotel budget, try to get a hotel with a pool. At most hotels, there will be plenty of children around for yours to meet. If you have a set budget, let us know and we can give you some tips on where to stay. Are you set on Positano or are you willing to consider other locations on the Coast?

Unless the kids really enjoy shopping for limoncello and high end ladies resort wear, then they probably will not like Positano.

Sorrento might be better. Ferry to Capri, where they might enjoy the chairlift up Monte Solaro as well as the ferry ride. Bus down the Amalfi Coast to Ravello and Amalfi, which unlike Positano are of some interest. And the Circumvesuviana to Naples and/or Pompei and, well, Vesuvius.

Of course you can do all these things from Positano but it's much easier from Sorrento.

I agree that you should find a place with a pool. The beaches are not great. I stayed at the Ambasciatori in Sorrento a few years ago. It has a pool, great views of the Bay of Naples, and is an easy 10 minute walk to the center. It was also not hugely expensive.

A few years back, we took our kids then 10 and 13 to Venice area, farmhouse with pool in Umbria, and Rome. In Venice we all enjoyed taking a boat trip out to the islands for one day. Saw the glassblowers on Murano, and explored Torcello as well. In Venice they also enjoyed just walking around, eating gelato, visiting the top of the tower on SM Square and watching the pigeons. Tour of the Doge's palace which showed the dungeons and crossed the Bridge of Sighs. Shopping for masks and little glass figurines to bring back for friends (probably made in China). At Umbria farmhouse we would do a day trip each day to places like Urbino, Gubbio, Perugia (good chocolates here), Siena, little hill towns, Anghiari, and return late afternoon for mandatory dip in the pool. Kids enjoyed the ride up the hill in Gubbio in that cagelike contraption. Loved climbing to the top of the Tower in Siena. In Rome, they very much enjoyed visit to Castel St. Angelo, place with all the cats, the Pantheon, Colisseum and Forum, and Piazza Navona.

There is a lido / beach, a separate island on the Venetian lagoon if they get tired with the show that is Venice. I also agree with the other poster that suggested staying in Sorrento rather than Positano (tho Fodor's "experts" may disagree on this one!)It is MUCH easier to daytrip around the area from Sorrento.

I certainly think you could use another day or so in Venice. There have been a number of posts on entertaining kids there, none of which I can seem to find now. One was a treasure hunt that took you all over Venice. Another option was the gondola workshop, the squero of San Trovaso. And, of course, the vaporetto to the islands of Murano (to see glass-blowing) and Burano, just a cute, colorful village.

But just walking around Venice and taking the vaporetto is very entertaining in itself. And watching the life of a city with no cars, no trucks. Especially if you're arriving after a long over-night flight and are sleepy and jet-lagged.

When my son was 14, we just struck out and wandered around in back "streets" of Venice, getting lost and found. When we came to the water, we turned and went another way.